September 29, 2005

Autumn...

Autumn is definitively in. There is a chill in the air, leaves are falling and birds are packing their bags...

Winter is not that far away (supermarkets are already displaying advent calendars, in case we forget...). Autumn is thus the season to gather your harvest for the long dark months spent indoors.

Knitters are no exception. I have been visiting quite a few blogs recently and it seems that everybody is looking anxiously through their stash, tidying up, deciding on which future pattern(s), ordering wool and needles. In brief, they are getting ready for serious Winter knitting. The fever has finally caught up with me and although I have got enough yarn for two or three projects lined up, I thought about adding one more to the list (you never know, it might be a harsh Winter...).

After seeing MJ 's beautiful Flower Basket Shawl, I thought it was about time I tried my hand at lace knitting. I have had the pattern for ages but was a bit anxious of starting something I had never done before. But I suppose I'll never know if I don't try... I still have to get the yarn though... and I am searching the net for the best options. If you have any suggestions as to which is the best yarn for this pattern, I'll be pleased to hear from you.

In the meantime, I am now past the armholes decreases on Bianca's back and I am over the moon! It is amazing how even 20 odd stitches less on your needles increase your knitting speed... and also the fact that I have stopped messing about with the Valenciennes KSH cardigan... for a while.

Comments

That's wonderful progress on Bianca... I didn't realise this pattern had beads :-) Very pretty! You should really try lace, imagine having a cosy, lacy shawl wrapped around yourself whilst sitting in front of the fireplace. Nice!

It is chilly isn't it? I looked out the window this morning and just thought yuck. I'm staying in, nice and warm with a large pot of coffee and an audiobook whilst I keep my hands occupied with something snuggly ;) Now go get out the lace.

i love lace knitting, it is really not as difficult as it seems. as for yarn, if you want to stay away from mohair, you can give this yarn a try: zephyr wool-silk. i have never tried it but have heard many good things about this yarn. i believe it is the yarn used for the paisley shawl in IK spring this year.

Laceweight is really fine; you may want to drop by your LYS and just finger their stock there. If they have some samples ask if you can knit with it in the store and see if you like the feel. My FBS was made with laceweight yarn doubled, and actually having that experience behind me prepared me for KSH.

We've all read that Knitpicks yarn is fabulous and cheap, so if you do decide to go for laceweight, why not go there?

Hello Francoise,
I envy your season change and your location. I love England! We wanted to plan a trip soon. An American friend who lives in London says that we should wait. The sterling rate to the US dollar is painful to freely spend and enjoy a vacation.
On that note I bet you could get quite a value buying yarn in the states. I love this handpaintedyarn.com ~ Serendipity in South America ~ is the seller name on ebay. I have heard that the lace yarn is wonderful! If you are interested buy only the 100% merino wool.
On eBay this is their current listing for merino lace wool.http://stores.ebay.com/Serendipity-in-South-America_Pure-Merino-Yarn_W0QQcolZ4QQdirZ1QQftidZ2QQtZkm

Bianca's looking good! Isn't the basket shawl a pattern that can be knitted in different weights and different sizes?
I won't recommend a yarn, but would say go for a yarn that you like to knit with and would want in a shawl (stating the obvious!) rather than just because it's your first shawl. For an easier experience, maybe wool or wool/silk rather than something smooth and inelastic (like cotton) or over fuzzy (like kid silk haze). Variegated yarns are great, but they do hide the lace pattern, so I'd go for a solid. If you don't mind ordering abroad, I'd highly recommend Blackberry ridge woollen mill. Solid colours, great yarn.